Book 2: Chapter 30: Kaiju Sized Bears |
Jun stood in the clearing of a giant battlefield, her Weapon Spirit matched her stance and presence. Or maybe it was the other way around. There was much she had yet to discover about herself and more she was currently learning. Including a lot of how she reacted in life and death situations while Shui was throwing herself around the clearing as though she was not made of flesh and blood.
“Kneel,” she said to the giant false dragon before them. “Kneel and we shall spare you.”
Shui laughed, still overburdened by the dozen spacial bags that weighed her down. Jun suspected the rascal girl had found a treasure room. A large one at that. If every single pouch was filled to the brim, then she must have had an empire's worth of rewards, coins, jewelry, weapons, armors, and more. Though Jun wasn't interested in any of it except the jewelry.
Nothing this Inheritance Instance could provide them would top the weapons, clothing, and food they had gotten from their master already.
The only thing they never received from him were the necklaces, brooches, ear rings, bracelets and more than any girl would dream of. The basics really that someone as powerful as their Ancestor seemed to almost be too far beyond to recall. Just like how he had nearly shattered their hearts after ruining their new perfectly smooth skin with all the body purifications without explaining how it would help make them even more perfect.
I thought I was going to look like a man for the rest of my life.
Jun shivered.
The false dragon rumbled. Its once shining black scales were damaged, limbs injured, and body struggling to keep itself up. “Sadistic monsters. Do you shiver in ecstasy at my humiliation? Does torturing me satisfy your evil urges?”
“Jun,” Shui turned to her with wide eyes. “What does evil urges mean?”
The false dragon winced and tried to back away, but found a gargantuan paw appear behind it. Mr. Mo Mo rarely showed its true form to them even during a fight.
“It’s for evil people. We aren’t evil so it doesn't apply to us, Shui.”
“But I want to be a villain–”
Everyone in the clearing snapped their heads toward Shui. They all stared hard at the rascal, imagining the type of chaos she could cause under the protection of their Ancestor and with a weapon as powerful as the hammer by her side. It was not a pretty picture any of them wanted to see come true.
Shui doubled over in laughter. “I’m just kidding! Ancestor would not be pleased to see us in an excess, good or bad,” she straightened her back and began to rub a nonexistent beard. The other hand behind her. “‘You must adhere to the most middle path. Wastefulness is a sin. Now drink all these potions and elixirs so you can beat dragons black and blue with only your thumbs!’” No one laughed except her.
Though Jun did crack a smile, not that she would let Shui notice. Fueling this non-sense was the perfect way to get a few hundred extra katas and drills from their Ancestor.
Or worse…
Their cultivation time would be halved again.
Back to sparring with the false dragon. Having Mr. Mo Mo and my Weapon Spirit really makes it easy to find good targets and keep them around.
“If you will not kneel,” Jun said, getting upset that she couldn’t tame a single beast like Shui had done a dozen times already. “Then you will die. Prepare yourself!”
“W-Wait!” the false dragon dropped its head low. “I surrender! I surrender!”
Really?
Jun did her best to prevent another involuntary smile, this time filled with satisfaction, from spreading across her face. She looked back at the She-Devil and gave her the stink eye. For some reason, her Weapon Spirit seemed quite adamant it was a waste of time and resources to be taming anything at all within the Inheritance Instance. As though she had some knowledge no one else did. Considering she usually did, it wasn’t even a long shot that was the truth.
Like that Mr. Mo Mo had it as well, but didn’t have the heart to break Shui’s happiness and joy while running around smacking monsters around into submission.
Yet, neither one said anything at all.
It’s good practice anyway. Plus we can contribute to growing Ancestor’s revitalization of the Hu Clan.
“Good.” was all she said.
Jun turned around and began to stroll away, sheathing her sword and keeping her chin raised. Shui copied her to the best of her ability.
Once they were out of the clearing, both of them would begin sprinting to the next location with the dozen tamed guardians and monsters they found along the way.
“Jun,” Shui got close to her and whispered. “Why did you choose such an ugly friend?”
Hu Jun’s eye twitched. “A riding beast into battle.”
The little girl froze mid-step. A whole new world had been shown to her. She looked back at the false dragon, clearly imagining how and what she would do while riding on its back. Charging straight into an enemy with such a massive, ugly, intimidating monster. Shui began to nod and whisper to herself. Looking over all the tamed creatures in her entourage, of which none of them could be used as a battle mount.
“C’mon. Let's go.” Jun said, taking another peek at Shui’s core.
Again, it left her shocked that a child her age was almost ready to shatter her Gaseous Core and transcend to the next level; the Liquid Core Realm. The same one she had struggled and suffered for years trying to get a taste of, eventually losing all hope she would ever reach it before turning into an old hag before her master had arrived and unlocked it for her using Shao Yating as a sparring partner.
It kind of made sense.
Shui was getting the same exact treatment she was getting after all. It was only a matter of time.
Yet, this was too soon. She was a young child that should still be learning the very basics of cultivation, not attempting to break into the ranks of true cultivators and masters on the planet. That type of genius tended to either die quickly, or ascend to the next plane of existence where they would again, get killed for being too special without enough backing.
Thankfully, no one dared to mess with them while under the protection of their Ancestor.
Both began to speed up, turning their walking into a light jog and then to a blistering sprint that made the world stretch around them. They could feel the rumbling Qi of the guardian they were targeting next. It knew they were coming for it. Yet, something prevented the monster from running away and forced the confrontation to happen.
Another mystery and question that would remain unsolved.
This place gave her the creeps.
Not knowing what the hell was going on around her made that feeling even worse–
Jun’s eyes widened.
Her Weapon Spirit stood before her, the world frozen and both her and Shui were in the air, stretched into a running form. Mr. Mo Mo appeared as the gargantuan mountain sized being he was, staring at the sky. Neither her nor Shui could utter a single word.
Then they saw the first crack in reality far above.
Intent stronger than anything they have ever witnessed leaked into the Inheritance Instance like a fog and they all knew who it was.
Yin Hu was ordering them to return or he would drag them out.
Mr. Mo Mo turned to look at the She-Devil. She only nodded to him in a huff, turning back to place a hand on Jun’s and Shui’s back.
The bear inhaled and let out a world shattering roar that made the earth move and mountains shift around them. It reached for the crack with both giant claws, sinking into the fabric of the Inheritance Instance. Its body flexed, Qi blasting its target. Then it happened. Her world spin and a tearing sound echoed in the depths of her mind.
Darkness filled her vision.
Her Weapon Spirit covered them in Qi and blocked their senses and vision from escaping her little barrier.
Then the next moment, they landed back where they had been kidnapped from. A sprawled old spirit stared at them, Rong was unable to stop rolling on the ground laughing, and then they saw their Ancestor.
Oh shit… He looks so mad.
Jun and Shui shared a look. A silent agreement passed between them to save their hides from endless punishment training and having his burning wrath pointed at them.
They rushed to his side, shouting and yelling in joy. Laughing and enjoying themselves as though they hadn’t been kidnapped from his side just a moment ago.
Regaling him with tailored stories that he wouldn’t get too upset about.
Both hoping it would be enough to stave his ire.
Something told them that was likely not going to be the case.